Comparison

Flash Boom vs Lightning Tracker‎

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Flash Boom

This app estimates the distance to lightning strikes by timing the interval between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder. It provides a simple, quick way to gauge your proximity to a storm and advises taking cover if you are within 5 miles.

Highlights
  • Lightning distance estimation
  • Flash and thunder timing
  • Distance in miles and kilometers
  • Safety advisory for close lightning
  • Simple tap interface
Features
Read full description

Definition: The purpose of Flash Boom is simple. It will give you an estimate of how far away lightning is. The rule of thumb says to allow about 5 seconds for each mile (3 seconds for each kilometer). In reality it is more like 4.72 seconds per mile and 2.99 seconds per kilometer. For more details, please visit http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-the-Distance-from-Lightning Control: Tap the FLASH button when you see the lightning. The button will change to BOOM. Tap the BOOM button when you hear the thunder. Thunder will usually not travel more than 15 miles (24 kilometers). Note: If you are less than 5 miles from the lightning, please take cover. Credit: The original Flash Boom program I knew of was writen by Kim Moelgaard for the Palm OS. I adapted the concept (without access to the code) to the iPhone. Enjoy!

About

Lightning Tracker‎

Monitor real-time lightning strikes on a map with detailed information like time and distance. Receive background notifications for nearby activity and customize your detection radius. View current weather conditions alongside lightning alerts.

Highlights
  • Real-time lightning strike map
  • Strike details (time, distance)
  • Background monitoring and notifications
  • Customizable detection radius (1-50 miles)
  • Current weather conditions view
  • Lightning strike expiration (15 minutes)
Features
Read full description

Track and monitor lightning strikes in realtime nearby to your location, with Lightning Tracker Live. Lightning strikes are presented on a map view, where you can tap on each marked lightning strike for more details, including: • Time of strike • Distance from your current location Lightning strikes will appear on the map view in realtime & will expire after 15 minutes, keeping you up to date with only the latest lightning activity all the time. The app will also work when in the background, periodically checking for any lightning strikes & notifying you if any do occur. As a default setting, the app will check/monitor at a radius of 25 miles within your location for lightning activity. This can be customized in the app settings from anywhere between 1 & 50 miles. Your chosen radius value will be saved for future use. Other features include an option to view your current weather conditions. We hope that you find this app useful. Please reach out to us via email support if you have any feedback or questions. Subscription: Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. If your subscription is subject to any promotional discount, the discount will expire upon the end of the current period and you'll be charged the standard rate upon renewal. Go to your iTunes Account under subscriptions to manage your membership and to turn auto-renew off. Your iTunes Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Privacy Policy: https://goingmerry.xyz/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://goingmerry.xyz/terms-conditions/

Screenshots

Flash Boom4 screens
Lightning Tracker‎4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flash Boom at 60% against Lightning Tracker‎'s 8%. Flash Boom also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). Lightning Tracker‎'s advantage is ratings volume (172 vs 1). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightning Tracker‎ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Flash Boom asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flash Boom holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightning Tracker‎ has 172 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Flash Boom's written reviews are positive against 8% of Lightning Tracker‎'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flash Boom ships an update every 6 weeks, Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Flash Boom versus Lightning Tracker‎: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlash BoomLightning Tracker‎
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.4 (172 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1172 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.3 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdward DanleyGoing Merry LLC

Customer experience

Flash Boom

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Lightning Tracker‎

All ratings172 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative91.7%

In-app purchases

None

Flash Boom

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Lightning Tracker‎

Subscriptions6
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • Premium Yearly$6.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$9.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Flash Boom free?
Flash Boom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Tracker‎ free?
Lightning Tracker‎ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flash Boom or Lightning Tracker‎?
Flash Boom is rated higher. Flash Boom averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Lightning Tracker‎ averages 4.4 from 172 ratings.
Do Flash Boom or Lightning Tracker‎ have ads?
Lightning Tracker‎ shows ads; Flash Boom does not.
Which is updated more often, Flash Boom or Lightning Tracker‎?
Flash Boom ships an update every 6 weeks, and Lightning Tracker‎ every 4 months. Most recently, Flash Boom was updated on September 27, 2026 and Lightning Tracker‎ on October 12, 2026.

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